Boys Rule Boys Read!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Another One from Cyber Kid!

This guy is hot!! Here's another review from our friend cyber kid 303:

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman is an okay book about Wallace Wallace who writes a bad book report on Old Shep My Pal. His teacher makes him go to the school play rehearsals which turns out to be Old Shep My Pal. This book is very funny and I suggest you read it.

Very good, cyber kid! Did you happen to read Darth Bill's review of it on May 7? Keep up the good work!
Carl

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Reading Bugs and Forgotten Doors

Hey, Everyone,

School is out for some of you and almost out for the rest. You know what that means, don't you--SUMMERTIME! VACATION!! NO MORE SCHOOL!!!

What a great time of year. I always looked forward to my summer breaks when I was in school. Well, we at the library think that summer is great too, but we know there are a lot of things to do and some of you might forget about reading (which we think of as another fun summer thing to do), so every year the library comes up with a Summer Reading Program. This year's theme is:

And the Summer Reading program starts tomorrow!! June 11!! Come down here to Imaginon or head to your local branch and pick up your reading record. "What is a reading record, you cool fool?" you might ask? It's a chance to record how many hours you read--and get prizes for reading!! Go to this link on PLCMC's website to find out. If you live outside of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg county area, check with your own local library and see what they've got for your summer.

We've also got some great programs lined up for this summer. Bill and I are doing the Heores Bold From Days of Lore programs again on June 12 and 26, as well as July 17 and 31. They're at 2:00 pm here at Imaginon. I'll do the Greek myth of Perseus on the 12th and Bill will do The Death of Arthur on the 26th.

We'll also have a Guys' Movie Afternoon on June 19 and July 24. We'll show Jason and the Argonauts on the 19th and Sky High on 7-24. Both movies are at 1:00 pm. Call 704-973-2720 to register. Still plenty of time! Free admission!! And we'll serve some free pizza!!!

AND we have a new review from our good friend cyber kid 303:

The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key is a book about a kid who falls through a door to Earth from another planet. He meets the Beans who try and help him. He has lost his memory. He finds out he can read minds. Some people try to hurt the boy, Jon, and employ him in the government. The story teaches that you shouldn't be mean to people because they are different.

Thanks, cyber kid! I think it's funny that a book about a Forgotten Door should be written by someone named Key!!

ON TOP OF THAT--we've got a lively discussion going with a post I made way back on February 25. It was about who should play the different characters in the Lightning Thief movie. We've had some coments about it over the last couple of weeks--go back to that post (called "Who Would You Pick for the Lightning Thief Movie?") and read them. And tell us who you would pick!

Catch that Reading Bug!

Carl

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Happy Blog Day....

Do you know what today is? It's our first Happy Blog Day!! Our one-year anniversary! We started this nuttiness one year ago on June 7, 2007. Can you believe it?? We've had a lot of fun since then, learned a whole lot, read a ton of good books, and made friends with some really cool people. Bill (Sith Rule!!!!) and I want to thank all of you for making this a really good year. Here's to many more!

In honor of this occasion, I'd like to list my 12 favorite books of the last year. (12 books for 12 months) I've put the dates of the reviews with them so you can go back and read the original posts.

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry (6-7-07) The first book I reviewed and still the best single book ever! I have favorite series but this is my favorite single book.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (8-1-07; 11-13-07; 1-30-08; 5-15-08; 5-23-08) What else can I say? They're grrrreat!!

The Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander (3-12-08)and the Tiger Magic series by Laurence Yep (1-2-08) Outside of Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia, my two favorite fantasy series.

The Barnstormers series by Loren Long and Phil Bildner (3-19-08; 4-1-08; 4-25-08) The most original, fun, exciting series I've read in a long time.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick

(8-7-07) Winner of the Caldecott Medal last year, this book is like nothing you've ever read before. Everyone, and I mean everyone who's read it loves it.

Tumbleweed Christmas by Alane Ferguson (12-20-07) Yes, it's a picture book and it's about Christmas, but it's one of the very best Christmas stories I've read, better than a lot of chapter books.

Pappy's Handkerchief by Devin Scillian (2-20-08) Another picture book, but this one is definitely good for any age. It's fictional but based on real events. Made me grip the book, it was so good!

Pond Scum by Alan Silberberg (2-8-08) What a fun book! I really enjoyed it. The characters and settings are so vivid that this book creates a movie in your head.

Here follow 3 nonfiction books that prove that history is not boring and can be every bit as exciting as fiction:

You Wouldn't Want to be a Greek Athlete: Races You'd Rather Not Run by Michael Ford (1-11-08) Funny and informative, with hialrious illustrations. Great guy book!

John Smith Escapes Again by Rosalyn Shanzer (8-25-07) This one is better than a lot of the fiction I've read. Hard to believe all that really happened--but it did!!

Black Whiteness: Admiral Byrd Alone in the Antarctic (6-7-07) An incredible true story of survival and endurance.

It's harder than I thought to narrow down the choices to 12! I had to leave some good graphic novels out. And now, to present you with his Top 12, here's that wild and crazy, wacky and fun-loving, Jedi-smashing and galaxy-conquering Sith----DARTH BILL!!!!!!

Darth Bill's Favorite 12, from month to month, from the past year! Read these books and I guarantee the Force will be strong in you:

From June 2007: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons by Jeff Kinney - This is a great book that is too funny. See my review from way back on the 6/6/2007 posting.

From July 2007: Roanoke: The Mystery of the Lost Colony by Lee Miller - If you like history and strange events, this is the book for you. It was one of the best Non-Fiction books I read this year. See my review of this book on the 7/30/2007 post.

From August 2007:The Battle of Iwo Jima: Guerrilla Warfare in the Pacific by Larry Hama and Anthony Williams - This book is not only a great Graphic Novel telling the story of this true War War II event, it also includes a preface with a great deal of information about this battle and a afterwards pointing out other locations to learn more about this event. This GN is really top notch, but see my review from 8/15/2007 post. The rest of these books in this World War II graphic novel series are great also; for more information on them see the 11/8 /2007 post.

From September 2007: Any Book in the Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer - Okay, technically I did not review the entire series in September of 2007 (I reviewed the first book in the series), but these books are so cool I'm breaking the rules (I'm a Sith; it's in my nature). See my review of the first book in the series from the 9/18/2007 post.

From October 2007: Cowboy & Octopus by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith - Man, October was a hard month to chose from as I read so much great stuff (Interworld by Neil Gaiman, The Tiger Moth Series, etc.). However, after much deliberation, I had to go for this whacked out and crazy book that made me laugh so hard it hurt. See my review of this book from the 10/10/2007 post.

From November 2007: The Jack Sparrow Pirates of the Caribbean Series by Rob Kidd- Okay I'm cheating again (I only reviewed the first book that month, "The Coming Storm", from the series), but these books are terrific. If you liked "The Pirates of the Caribbean" Movie Series, you'll love these books. If you have not read this series yet all I can say is "Ouch!!!!!!" See my review of "The Coming Storm" from my 11/27/2007 post.

From December 2007: Interworld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves and The Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Series by various - Wow, now I doubling the cheating (Like I said, I'm a Sith; I can't help myself!!!!!). Interworld is a really great science fiction story written in part by one of my favorite authors ever--Neil Gaiman. It's a terrific book that seems to have been overlooked by many people. Now The Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Graphic Novel Series is really AWESOME!!!!!! It's got everything that makes Star Wars so great: action, adventure, Jedi, Sith, more Sith, Clone Troopers, Yoda, Mace Windu, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C3PO, Sith, and so much more. It really rocks hard!!!!!! For Interworld see the 12/10/2007 post and for Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures see my 12/4/2007 post.

From January 2008: Stan Lee: Writer & Creator by Sue Hamilton and Jack Kirby: Creator & Artist also by Sue Hamilton - Okay, I'm not even going to say anything more about cheating, period. These are two great biographies about two men who helped make the Comic Book Industry what it is today along with creating many of the superheros we are still reading about. See my 1/6 /2008 post for a great review of these books. Their are other books in this series about famous Comic Book creators that are owned by the Library System if you enjoy these books (Joe Sinnott, John Buscema, John Romita, Sr, Joe Simon).

For February 2008: The Bone Series by Jeff Smith - The book in the series that I actually reviewed in February was "Ghost Circles." This is a truly great Graphic Novel Series that is kind of like "The Lord of the Rings" combined with "The Marx Brothers." Great adventure mixed with great laughs. See my 2/6 /2008 for the review for "Ghost Circles."

For March 2008: Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories. Volume 1 & 2 / all stories written and drawn by Carl Barks - These Graphic Novels present some of the master of the Disney Ducks writing and drawing Carl Barks at his very best. Great adventure and comedy follow Uncle Scrooge, Donald, Huey, Louie and Dewey wherever they go. These are great reads that you will love!!!! See my 3/27 /2008 post for a review of Volume 1.

For April 2008: Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams - If you are still in the dark about this book, you have to read it as soon as possible. This book is probably the best I read all year and I guarantee you will love it to. See my review from the 4/5/2008 posting.

For May 2008: No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman and Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher - No More Dead Dogs is one of the funniest books I have read in a very long time. Please don't let the title put you off; it's not what you think. See my review from the 5/7 /2008 posting for more information on this book. I also had to include Stoneheart as it is such an exciting and fast paced adventure that will grab you and not let you go until the end. Which will leave you waiting for more. See my 5/30 /2008 posting for a review of this very cool book!!!!!

Well, guys, this past year has been a gas and we have had a great deal of fun. We hope you have also!!! If you want, why don't you post about your favorite books from the first complete year of our blog (and when I say "our", I'm talking about you guys out there in Blogland, Carl, and myself. We are in this together, men!!!!!!)

Well, peace everyone,

Bill and Carl

Friday, June 6, 2008

Prince Caspian--the Book and the Movie

Greetings, all you readers in the Royal Lands of Blog, it is I, Carl the Great Goof-Off---I mean, Carl the Great Good Blogger. I saw the Prince Caspian movie lately and liked it a lot, so I thought this would be a good time to talk about the book and the movie.
Prince Caspian is, of course, one of the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Several of you have read them all, but if you're a newbie to this series, you're in for a treat. The Narnia books have everything you want--adventure, thrills, humor, and even some good life lessons (but don't worry; Lewis gives them to you as part of an exciting story)

In the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,

four kids find their way into the magical world of Narnia and find that it's been taken over by the thoroughly evil White Witch. A ancient prophecy says that when they become kings and queens of Narnia, her reign will be over. The witch finds a way to thwart the prophecy, however, and the great lion Aslan must intervene to save the land.

In Prince Caspian,

the same four kids are sitting at a train station and suddenly get pulled into Narnia again. Everything is different this time, however. The dwarfs, centaurs, dryads, and all the other magical creatures seem to have disappeared. Even their old castle has changed drastically. Just as the four kids find out what has happened, they come across Prince Caspian, who has escaped from his wicked uncle, King Miraz. Perhaps the four children can restore Caspian to his throne and make things right--but they will need Aslan's help, and he seems slow in coming. Will he show up in time? You'll like this one a lot.

The Prince Caspain

movie was really good too. It's a great big epic movie, like the Lord of the Rings movie. The special effects are awesome, there's lots of humor (especially first encounters with Reepicheep), and there's a lot of action. The truly good kind--swordfights, escapes on horseback, massive battles between armies, all the stuff that makes a movie fun. Now if you've read the book, you'll see that they added a whole bunch of scenes that weren't in there--like the assault on Miraz's castle. But that's all right. Those extra scenes are good and, if you've read the book, you won't mind. So, should you read the book or see the movie first? Well, in this case, I don't think it matters. Sometimes I say you should definitely read the book first but with Prince Caspian, you'll enjoy them both no matter which one you get first.

Aslan Forever!!

Carl

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Return of the Kandy Kane Kid

Howdy, Partners, this here's the Kandy Kane Kid!!

Now you all might think I look a bit...peculiar. Well, that's because I ususally come out only at Christmas time to shoot everyone up full of holiday cheer. But I've found out about something so great that I just had to come here and tell you sidewinders. (besides, I had to let you know that Big Bad Darth Bill ain't the only gunslinger in these here parts!) Turns out that the grownups from the Main Library are going to show a bunch of COWBOY MOVIES here at Imaginon this summer!!!! Yeee haaa!! Now, most of these movies are fur grownups and are long and full of boring grownup talk, but there are three that are rip-roarin' , rootin'--tootin', fun movies that you'd enjoy. And the first one is this Sunday!!

It's Rio Bravo, starring John Wayne, the greatest movie cowboy of them all!!

In this one, a Texas sheriff has to protect a murderer that's in his jail. This movie's full of slam-bang action! It shows Sunday, June 8 at 2:00 pm in the Wachovia Playhouse Movin' Picture Theatre here at Imaginon.

By the way, these movies are for older buckaroos, 10-13 years old.

The next is a side-splittin' comedy, Go West, with that hilarious funny man, Buster Keaton. (That's him on the left)

Now this here's a silent movie, cowpokes!! You might say, "Oh, man!! Why would I want to see anyting like that?" Let me tell you, that Buster Keaton's funnier than a herd of monkeys fallin' off their horses!! And this movie has a real piano player to accompany the movie and that makes for a rollicking good time! That one's on June 22 at 2:oo pm in the same place.

The third one is the last of one of the series, Ride the High Country, starring Randolph Scott, who was born right here in Charlotte.

In this one, two aging lawmen are hired to guard a shipment of gold. It'll be August 24, same time, same place. Couldn't ask fur a better time at the movies, could ya? All right then, cowpokes, come on down to the Imaginon Ranch for Texas-sized fun. (and bring yore dads and uncles and cousisn and grandads too)

Yippee-yi-yo-yo!

Carl (aka The Kandy Kane Kid)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

A Good Time at the Kickoff Party

Here we all are, intrepid readers

and bold discus tossers!

As you can see, we all had fun at the Percy Jackson Summer Book Club Kickoff Party last Saturday. There were a lot of games--Athena sent word searches, the Minotaur dropped off mazes (glad he didn't stay!!), and everyone took turns at the Discus Toss. It's easy to do--just staple two paper plates together and you have a discus worthy of the original Olympic games. Poseidon was pleased to hear from Apollo that people in North and South Carolina have something called "beach music," so we all listened to that during the party. There was food, too. If you look closely at the first picture, you'll see, behind the kids, The Snack Table of the Gods. Hephaestus sent hot candy, Dionysus sent Diet Coke and juice drinks, and Aphrodite, naturally, sent sweets--including kisses!!

We're going to meet June 21 and talk about the first two books, then talk about the last two in July. It looks like we have a fun group and just about the right size. (We've got eight so far, with 3 more possibly coming) The girl in the baseball cap is named Anna, so we called her Annabeth!! (It's not a Yankees cap, so she couldn't turn invisible) We'll keep you informed! Are there any other Percy Jackson book clubs out there this summer? Let us know!

BTW, Poseidon did show up:

OK, so it's me and not the sea king. You could say I'm all wet for saying that!! Hardeee har har!! That claim couldn't hold water!!! Ha ha ha ha!!! Oh, I should be a comedian--I'd make a big splash!!!! Oh, ha ha ha...ha....why am I the only one laughing???

Carl

PS--be sure to sign up for the Kids Love Comics workshop!

Here's How Our Blog Works

If you don't know how to post comments or reviews to our blog or if you want to read what we and other boys have written, here's what you do:

1. Every post has a place underneath it that says "Comments". Click on it and it will take you to a place in which you can write something. When you're done, click on a way to identify yourself. You don't have to create a Blogger/Google account (unless you already have one); you can click on "Name/URL" or even "Anonymous." Then click "Publish Your Comment." We try to get your comments and reviews posted right away, but sometimes we get busy with other duties. So, if you don't see your comment right away, don't panic. We'll post it soon.

Don't forget--any boy can get a free book the first time he writes a review. If you live too far away to come to the Myers Park library, go ahead and write to us anyway. We'll try to find a way to get a book to you. Besides, all the other boys out there would love to hear from you.

When you tell us about a book, please give the title, author, what the book is about, and why you did or didn't like it.

2. Blogs go "front to back"; that is, the newest post comes up first and the older ones are put further back. You click on the "Blog Archive" to read older articles. The posts for this month have the titles listed. You can click on other months to catch our other posts. (Our introduction is in June of 2007; if you're new to this blog, you might look it up.)

3. Underneath each post you'll see a line that says "Labels" and several other words such as "graphic novels" or "Andrew Clements." These extra words are links to a subject; for instance, if you clicked on "graphic novels," it would pull up all the posts about graphic novels. There's also a section below on some of our best posts on the most popular subjects

4. Did you notice that the posts from last year don't show up month by month as they did before this year? If you click on the triangle next to the previous years, the months will drop down and you can go back and see what we and your fellow readers have written.

The Iron Guy's Review Policy

1. Since the Iron Guy works for the terrific Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, I review only books that the library already has or will get soon.
2. If you are an author or publisher or agent and think you have a book that boys will go crazy over, please leave me a comment (with your email address so I can contact you) under any post. I will look and see if we have the book. If not, and if the book looks good, I will contact Those Who Order Books and see if CML would be interested. (Please note--CML does not usually order self-published books) PLEASE do not just send me a book! I appreciate the offer but but first I want to see if CML has it or will get it soon.